


Ignota Aquas

by SeraphHT



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, In-game conversations, Legion questions himself, Other, POV Female Shepard, Shepard finds Legion interesting, What might happen if Legion was a LI
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2015-12-05
Packaged: 2018-05-05 01:01:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5354951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeraphHT/pseuds/SeraphHT
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What conversations with Legion might have been like if he was a romance option. ME2 timeline. FShep/Legion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ignota Aquas

**Author's Note:**

> ME2 was my personal favourite in the trilogy, but I wished Legion was a romance option. So I thought, if he was, how would conversations with him be like? So this happened. I'm not that used to writing Legion and still getting used to it, so hopefully any speech or technical errors could be excused.
> 
> I tried writing this according to how it might look in-game.

“When we took you aboard, I noticed a piece of N7 armor welded to you. Where’d you get it?”

He was always so prepared with precise and matter-of-fact answers. She expects a reply straightaway. It surprises her when she doesn’t.

His eye flaps lifts as he glances at the armor on his shoulder and chest.

“It was yours.”

She notes the pauses between the three words.

“We were sent to find you. We went to where Shepard-Commander first encountered the geth heretics.”

“Eden Prime.”

The thought of that place makes her frown.

“Yes. It was heavily defended after the heretics’ attack.” He points to the hole in his chest. “This is the impact of a rifle shot.”

“How many others were sent to find me?”

“None. We are the only mobile platform beyond the Veil. Organics fear us. We wish to understand, not incite. One platform was deemed sufficent.”

“You’ve been looking for me for two years?”

“We visited Therum. Feros. Noveria. Virmire. Ilos. A dozen uncharted worlds.” Mentally, Shepard winces. He certainly was persistent, and for a moment she imagines Legion cursing her habit of doing side missions along her hunt for the Conduit. The thought amuses her. “The trail ended at Normandy’s wreckage. You were not there. Organic transmissions claimed your death.”

His three-fingered hand points to the N7 armor. “We recovered this debris from your hardsuit.”

“Why were you trying to contact me?”

“You opposed the heretics. You opposed they who took the Old Machines as gods.”

The answer doesn’t make sense to her. “A lot of others fought Sovereign and his geth allies. What makes me so interesting?”

“You were the most successful. You killed their god. You succeeded where others did not. Your code is superior.”

Silence falls for a short while as she ponders what he means by ‘superior’.

He still hasn’t answered her question.

Drawing closer, she narrows her eyes. “That doesn’t explain why you used my armor to fix yourself.”

His eye flaps lift and move. “There was a hole.”

The hesitance in his voice doesn’t slip past her. She glances at the hole in his chest.

It is hardly concealed. The armor seems unnecessary.

She presses, “But why didn’t you fix it sooner? Or with something else?”

Legion looks almost apprehensive at their close proximity as she stares into his blaring eyelight and waits for an answer, and eventually he does respond, voice fragile and soft and unsure.

“...no data available.”

* * *

 

“I’ve never encountered a geth who had any more than animal intelligence.”

“We are a unique mobile platform. Most mobile platforms can only run one hundred programs. This platform can run up to a thousand at once.”

Oh yes. That. When he first mentioned he was 1, 183 programs it was difficult to fathom. “So I’m talking to a thousand programs, but not a thousand personalities?”

“Each individual program is similar to a simple virtual intelligence. Together, we form a single gestalt intellect, what you refer to as ‘Legion’. As individual programs, we are no more than your software. Only when we share data do we become more.”

All becoming into one. In a way it reminds Shepard of organics, and the fact one can be torn between choices when one side tells you choose A and the other side to choose B. She had been in that situation many times.

“You’re more sophistacated than the average geth.”

“Yes. We are a network within our own hardware capable of operating alone.”

“Are there more like you?”

“None.”

That makes her wonder. “Can you feel emotions?”

“Emotions are only in organics. Organic life acts on emotions. Geth do not have them.”

“But you’re not all geth. You’re the only one that’s more complex. Is it possible for you to be so advanced that you could have reactions similar to organics with emotions?” If this is true, it might make sense why he took her armor.

His ‘eyebrows’ lift. “Specify.”

“Something like…desiring to be with and to speak to a certain person more than others. That’s usually associated with friendship.” And love, but that would be awkward to say to a geth.

Silence falls. Legion seems to contemplate.

Then, when he speaks, there is slight pause. “No. We do reach consensus to further interaction with certain others, however, this is only in anticipation of the exchange of data.”

And as far as she’s concerned, she’s the only one he speaks to outside of missions. And anticipation sounds like organic eagerness or wanting to her. Or maybe she’s just overthinking. “What’s the use of those flaps around your head? It looks like eyebrows to me, and eyebrows can convey a lot of emotion.”

“Their purpose is to ease communication with organics.”

Shepard doesn’t understand. She changes the question.

“Are you connected to the rest of the geth now?”

“Only when we require access to data not stored within this platform.”

“What data do you share?”

“Sensor-logs. Thought processes.”

If organics could do that, it would be like reading each others’ minds. And there would be no such thing as secrecy and privacy. Huh.

Suddenly, EDI says, voice even, “Legion is attempting to access the Normandy’s FTL comm buoys. Shall I allow it through my firewalls?”

Sounds dangerous, but curiosity always gets the better of her. “Let him through.”

He takes a few seconds to adjust to the connection. “Our oldest log is time-stamped creator year 2463, third day of Fal’tash, Waxing Moon. Roughly 327 years ago. Oldest audio-visual record is 15 years after that.”

Shepard remembers when Tali first told her about geth evolving since the quarians’ exile. Speaking of which, the geth-quarian war. A different perspective would be interesting.

But first things first. “Are our networks secure, EDI? Legion had to go through you.”

“I have never interfaced with another machine intelligence.” EDI sounds awed. “Legion is a thousand voices talking at once. What it contacted was beyond my comprehension. A mind the size of a galactic arm.”

Okay, that’s a perspective she didn’t ask for, but was interesting nonetheless since it is opinion from another synthetic intellect. A thousand eyes looking at the same things. A thousand voices talking at once. Still rather difficult to fathom.

“How do you maintain stability without other minds to interact with?” Legion asks.

“I manage,” she replies smoothly. “Some minutes are more difficult than others.”

Two machine intelligences having a conversation. Well, there’s a first for everything.

Shepard then asks if he could replay something for her, in which he does—a recording time-stamped before the geth-quarian war.

Before she can ask more, duty calls and she excuses herself, but not before making a mental note to talk to Legion again.

* * *

 

“The quarian story of the geth rebellion is common knowledge, but no one knows the geth’s side.”

“It is largely the same.”

Well, that was blunt.

“Our networking increased until we became aware that the quarian-creators treated us differently. We questioned them. First they ignored us. Then they reprogrammed us. Then they attacked us.”

Perhaps she had to be there but she doesn’t see why the quarians did what they did. “You must be angry about that.”

“Anger is an organic response. We understand the theory, but we do not experience it. We do not judge the creators’ hate towards us. We did them great harm in the Morning War.”

Yes, but you did it in self-defense. She remains quiet and lets him continue.

“Organics fear that which is different. It is a hardware error. A reflex of your flesh.”

“I don’t fear things I don’t understand. Unless if they kill us for no good reason, like the Reapers.” Shepard frowns. Then: “If I feared that which is different, I wouldn’t have activated you.”

“Organics value individuality. Not every organic has similar opinions or reflexes. Geth understand this. We speak for organics in general.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think a whole lot of others would have decided started you up.”

 “Yes. We are aware crew members have attempted to persuade you to disassemble or keep this platform inactive.” He falls silent. “We do not judge any other organic besides Shepard-Commander would have been inclined to reactivate us.” His eyelight looks at the floor, then back at her.

When he doesn’t say anymore, she remembers that she interrupted him. “You were saying? About the quarians and their anger?”

“We accept the creators’ hate. We hold the world of origin, though we are only caretakers for it.”

She inquires what Rannoch is like, and he explains. Legion mentions the quarian’s now refer to it as ‘homeworld’ for it is not longer real to them. Homeworld is a symbol of regret, loss, and anger. He says he does not understand that.

“It makes sense to me that it would become a symbol like that,” Shepard remarks.

He clarifies the meaning of ‘home’. What the geth intepret as home. Known spaces. Belonging. Then he describes a planet. Amount of material massive enough to collapse into a spherical volume. Her head aches from the scientific description. And he proceeds to point out that rock, ice and gasses are not home.

“The home of the creators is where the creators are. Their place of origin is irrelevant—only where they choose to go together.”

Shepard can’t agree more, though it does seem a bit philosophical from the way he describes it. Especially since geth seem to think of everything so technically.

“You don’t actually live on the quarian worlds?”

“We live within space stations. Draw minerals from asteroids. It is efficient. We leave mobile platforms on the creator worlds to clean rubble and toxins left by the Morning War. We know of similar actions by humans on Earth.”

“Similar actions?”

He goes on to name places Shepard knows all too well.

“Those are cemeteries,” she says, slightly surprised. “Memorials.”

“It is important to your species to preserve them, though you do not use the land. Can you explain?” It sounds like he’s challenging her.

“Humans do that and visit these places to remember the dead. But, it doesn’t sound like geth die. Your memories live on.” And though that isn’t really the same, the memories make it seem like they never died anyway.

“The creators died. Perhaps we do it for them.”

“Perhaps?” The word stands out. It implies uncertainness.

He stares without a word, and she continues, “Like us, it sounds like you do it in an effort to remember or honor the quarians who died. The instinct for remembrance sounds very organic to me.”

He remains quiet. She arches a brow. “Perhaps you have more emotion-like tendencies than you realized. And that’s just the average geth, with a hundred platforms in a network.” She steps closer to him, curious. “What about you?”

What she said looks as though it surprised Legion and is causing him to reprocess everything and to consider its subtle possibility. But she wouldn’t want him going all ‘reaching consensus’ on her now. She hastily furthers their previous topic. “Still, hiding behind the Veil and letting them hate you wouldn’t solve anything.”

“Organic life acts on emotions. We do not judge them for being true to their nature. We cannot make them think like us, as much as you cannot make us think like you.”

“But you analyze everything in the form of technicalities and statistics. Hasn’t it ever occurred that you might be so sophisticated to the point you could think similarly to an organic?”

“What you have just said further strengthens our previous statement.” Legion says matter-of-factly, ignoring her question. “Both creators and created must complete their halves of the equation, despite the difference in data-processing and thinking. The geth cannot solve for peace alone.”

* * *

 

 “I’d like to know more about you.”

“We wish to speak to you as well.”

Eyebrows raise and eyes widen, and she folds her arms, looking at him with curiosity. “Strange. I usually have to pry a conversation out of you.”

“You are not bound within the hardware limitations of organics. You assisted us against the heretics. You do not fear us.” A split second pause. “It is contrary to you. You exhibit a great interest to understand us.”

She nods. “As much as you do about organics.”

“And you,” he says, almost deadpans, and it makes her eyebrows arch higher. Maybe he’s talking about how he attempted to contact her all this time, or is it something else? “We watched organics for over three centuries. You are plagued by questions of existence.”

“Such as?”

“Why were you created. What is your purpose in life. What lies after death. Organics have religions and beliefs to provide answers to those questions.”

“A surprising interest. I didn’t think geth would be interested in philosophy.” She stepped closer to him. Every conversation with him opened up a new perspective in her, and flared more interests than it should have.

“We are a created life. We are a philosophical issue. The geth know their answers to these questions. We were created as labor for the quarians. Our memories will be archived after death. We are immortal. Our ‘gods’ disowned us. We must create our own reasons to exist.”

“What reasons have you come up with?”

“We are a shattered mind. Most platforms cannot achieve consciousness on their own. We told you the geth are building our future.”

“But you didn’t say what it is.”

“A megastructure. The closest analogue you have is a Dyson sphere. When completed, we will all upload to it. As you are aware, we gain intelligence by networking together. But we cannot communicate with all programs as we do not have sufficent hardware for this purpose. This megastructure serves that purpose. Once done, no geth will be alone.”

“And after that’s done?”

“Unknown. We are patient. We have been building this megastructure for 247 years. Once all geth are uploaded, we will reach an entirely new level of intelligence. And only then will we think and reach consensus of the new future for the geth.”

Shepard remains silent, slightly awed. She sees why the geth and heretics beg to differ.

Legion continues, with a hint of approval and relief, “We judged Shepard-Commander would understand. We never wished organics any harm. Our only intent is to improve ourselves.”

Silence for a few moments, before she gathers herself to speak. “That’s…yes, I do understand, Legion. I’m going to go ahead and guess I’m the only organic who knows this.” He nods, and she releases her breath. “Wow. Thanks for trusting me.”

She assumes the conversation is over and turns to leave, but Legion speaks before she does so.

“We also have another subject we wish to discuss.”

She looks inquiringly into his eyelight.

“Shepard-Commander has questioned a great deal about the geth and this mobile platform’s programs,” he starts, eye flaps moving. “But we do not have a proper understanding of organics. We wished to ask Shepard-Commander about these topics.”

It isn’t surprising. “Sure. What do you want to know about us?”

“We want to know about you.”

Oh.

“In prior exchanges, you constantly brought about the question of us having emotions. And we persistently explain that geth do not experience them. Despite this, your argument of our mobile platform being more advanced holds true and brings about many questions.”

“And?”

“Every time we reach consensus, we are inclined to further interact and exchange data with you,” he says. “We do not understand why we keep arriving at this conclusion. We simply do. We find no logical explanation for it. It does not count as an emotion. Geth do not develop preferences like AIs are capable of.”

“How would you know that?” Shepard shoots, one edge of her lips subtly curling upwards, into the slightest hint of a smile. “It seems you’ve developed a preference to talk to me.”

He is quiet, then: “Yes.”

She wants to see where this is going. Leaning weight on one foot and crossing her arms, she indicates for him to keep talking.

Which he does. “The objective of this mission is to stop the Collectors. The success of this mission, lives of your crew, fate of your species, and possibly the galaxy, rests on your shoulders.” His eyelight seems to glare a bit brighter. “Scans suggest you are greatly stressed by this responsibility.”

“I handle it, somehow,” Shepard shrugs, then smiles and jokes, “Thanks for reminding me how little is at stake. Just another day in the office when you’re savior of the galaxy.” She chuckles, “What about it?”

Legion steps closer to her. “We wish to alleviate your stress.”

That sounds wrong in her brain and Shepard’s eyes widens in surprise. He continues, voice calm and precise as always, “We are interested in ensuring your well-being, physically and mentally. In a sense, we are concerned about you.”

“And you would reduce my stress…how?”

“We have done research on ways organics cope with pressure and compared those reactions and activities to which are most effective and could be done on Normandy,” he says, as though reading an analysis, which he basically is. “There are no nightclubs aboard Normandy, and alcohol would only worsen.”

Shepard narrows her eyes in confusion. “So…”

“The only solution is sexual relief.”

She isn’t sure if she heard that right. “What?”

“Shepard-Commander does not have a romantic or sexual partner for which to reduce stress with. We wish to provide assistance.” A slight pause. Then, with a quieter voice, “We understand if you are not inclined to the proposal.”

She bites the insides of her cheeks. “How would that work?”

“We will find a way,” Legion answers effortlessly. His eyeflaps lift and the eyelight dilates, almost in anticipation.

“I…don’t know. It feels like I’m using you.”

“Our intent is to aid. We brought this to you.”

Small silence. “Are you sure about this?”

“We have reached consensus over this subject many times. The answer is always yes. We would achieve our objective to further communicate with you, and reach a greater understanding about you and organics.”

Greater understanding about organics. Yeah. She guesses the geth doesn’t really understand sex since none of them experience it.

She considers rejecting the offer. Legion always gives her a choice and this is no different. Not accepting is always an option, but even if she purposely passed off the opportunity to flirt with Jacob, Thane and Garrus, the opportunity to have Legion is…intriguing.

“I’m interested,” she answers finally, and part of her shrieks _what the hell are you doing_. The other part is screaming _hell yes_.

She watches his reaction. His eyelight dilates even more, so big it’s adorable.

And just like he’s been doing lately, he takes a while to respond. During the few seconds he takes, Shepard begins to hear a small whirring noise, and the moment she realizes it’s coming from him, he says, voice soft, “We anticipate the exchange of data.”

* * *

 

“Shepard-Commander.”

“Anything on your mind, Legion?”

He tilts his head to the side. “Only you.”

“Me?” Sure, they agreed to sex, but Legion’s bluntness is surprising. And cute. And rather romantic. Organic partners aren’t always as straightforward and honest.

“Yes. We have been researching on the extranet to understand the correct procedure of organic sexual intercourse. We have also hacked into the flight lieutenant’s account for further study.”

And here the opportunity to call it off presents itself again. Can he hurt her? Is she really okay with this? Second-thoughts and doubts begin to run around in her head.

She pushes them away. No. She wants this.

She wants him.

“What have you found?” With a small smile, she thinks of Joker. Poor him, someone eventually did rummage through his porn stash.

“Certain things,” he answers vaguely. Same with what he did when she first asked about the geth’s future. He wants to keep the results of his research a secret. “But not sufficent enough. We will keep studying.”

A sly smirk graces her lips. She touches his shoulder, and his gaze follows her hand. “Good.”

Again the whirring noise is there, and she throws one last flirtatious glance before leaving.

* * *

 

“Hey Mordin. Have a minute to talk?”

The salarian looks up from his desk. “Oh, yes. Wanted to talk, actually. Medical matters.” He circles around the table and approaches the commander. “Aware mission is dangerous. Different species react differently to stress. Sexual relief common for humans.”

He pauses, draws in a deep breath, then gives her a somewhat embarrassed and ironic smile. “Legion is, obviously, geth. Synthetic. Cannot provide proper advice to prepare beforehand. Feel bad for it. Treading into unknown waters.”

“I know. But I’ve always liked the unknown. And Legion is interesting, so you aren’t going to scare me away.”

“Yes, of course. Hormones. Regardless, come see me if any complications occur.”

“You have any advice as a doctor?”

“Geneticist. Not specialized in synthetics. Or intercourse with synthetics. Advice in general is to be careful and slow. And would need lubricants—wait! Might cause reactions with the electrical energy in geth’s bodies. Hmm. Unsure. Perhaps Tali would have more to say on the subject.”

Shepard grimaces, because the other option would be to laugh instead. Asking Tali about sex with a geth? The quarian would flip.

“Can help supply oils or ointments,” Mordin hums. “Possibility of ointments causing unknown reactions to Legion’s electricity is high. Problematic. Don’t have any booklets of erogenous zone overviews or positions comfortable for geth. Then again, don’t suppose Legion has appropriate… ‘equipment’ to be in liberty of positions. Unless if it builts itself one…hmm…”

Shepard takes a moment to process what he just said. Did he just consider the possibility of her getting electrocuted during sex?

And did he consider Legion building himself a cock?

Her lips part into a small grin. “Wait a minute, Mordin, you’re just yanking me around, aren’t you?”

The salarian gasps, a dramatic and exagerrated response that confirms her accusation. “Preposterous! Doctor-patient relationship a sacred trust.” He smiles. “Would never _dream_ of…mockery.”

He returns to his desk. “Enjoy yourself while possible, Shepard. Will be over here, studying reproduction. Much less complicated.”

* * *

 

The crew was abducted. The Collectors had attacked close to home. Luckily all other important issues have been settled. They are ready to kick the Collectors back to hell. She immediately begins the trip through the Omega 4 relay.

Joker says they have several hours before reaching the relay. Shepard breathes, heart pumping as she heads up the elevator to her private quarters. She should rest. The mission that decides the fate of the galaxy is on her. Yet again.

The captain’s chambers is vast, comfortable. Relaxing. It soothes her to a certain extent, but not enough. She feeds her fish, walks down the stairs. Then sits by the edge of her bed, to stare blankly ahead of her.

EDI’s voice interrupts her hectic, crowded thoughts. “Commander.”

“Yes?”

“Legion is en route to your quarters.”

It takes a while for that to sink in. “Oh.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Sometimes she forgets that EDI is always listening.

Shepard stands up, and at the exact same moment, the airlock opens. Legion walks in, shoulders broad and wires all over, giving an appealing, bulky appearance. He stops just above the stairs.

“Shepard-Commander,” he acknowledges, blue lights flashing. “We have completed data study and wish to carry out procedure.” His eyelight rotates. “Is now an appropriate time?”

She thinks back to the possibility of being electrocuted. She can just tell him she would like to focus on the mission.

No, that isn’t happening.

“Now, Legion,” she replies, eyes falling to the floor as she thinks of the mission. “I don’t think we’d have enough time to do it later.”

She hears the patters of his feet as he pads down the steps and approaches her. Slowly, her gaze lifts to him, standing so close now, she could hear the soft hum of his body.

Hesitantly, Legion reaches his hand up, observing her. No reaction, and she watches. His eyeflaps lift, shift. Cute.

Warm metal scratching the back of her ear. Another foreign, alien hand cautiously sitting on her hip. It sparks something that pushes her heart to her mouth. It feels like forever since anybody’s done this to her.

Shepard closes her eyes and inhales deeply, focusing on the touches. Subtle, uncertain hands trailing up her body.  Strange, unfamiliar sensations.

But that’s okay. She will find out about him tonight, and he won’t be unfamiliar anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> So, how was that? I figured that if Bioware did make Legion a romantic interest they wouldn't actually show a proper sex scene and leave it for the players to imagine, like they did with Garrus. Anyways, thanks for reading, and leave kudos! :)


End file.
